Fores Joins Kawasaki Puccetti Racing For 2020

Experienced Spanish rider Xavi Fores will return to the WorldSBK paddock in 2020 inside the WorldSBK wing of the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing set-up.

As the 2019 campaign ends thoughts turn to a new season in WorldSBK and the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team has much to look forward to with the signing of six-time WorldSBK podium finisher Xavi Fores.

The 34-year-old Xavi took part in 91 WorldSBK races before spending the 2019 season in the BSB championship, scoring four rookie-season podiums in what many consider the most competitive national championship of all.

The Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team, having already won races in 2019 with talented young rider Toprak Razgatlioglu, hope to use Xavi’s great experience in WorldSBK to let them move to the next level in their technical approach and consistency.

Xavi Fores, stated: “I am really happy to re-join WorldSBK with the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Team for next season. Manuel and Kawasaki have built a very strong team in the last few seasons and it was very easy to make a deal with them. The bike is very strong and I think it can suit my riding style very well, so I was pushing hard to close the deal with Manuel. I can’t wait to jump on the bike and start to work hard to prepare for next season to make sure we start Round One in Australia with a strong package and in good shape. I want to thank Kawasaki Europe for their big effort and their support, and I also want to thank Manuel for his trust in me.”

Manuel Puccetti, Team Manager, stated: “We are very motivated to have Xavi ride for our team next season. He is an experienced rider and fast in all conditions as he has shown many times in the past. I believe we have all the ingredients for another great season in WSBK and we are all keen to get started.”

Steve Guttridge, Kawasaki Europe Racing manager, stated: “With Xavi joining us as our rider inside the Puccetti team we will exchange youth for experience. Our goal, as Kawasaki, is to help build up the team’s knowledge in the WorldSBK class to an even higher level again during the 2020 season. The team have a great infrastructure and using the Ninja ZX-10RR they also now have the rider to perform at the highest level again next year. We are all very excited to get started with this partnership.”